MORNING HEADLINES  |  More than a dozen peaceful protests are planned across South Carolina this weekend as part of the national “No Kings” movement as a response to President Donald Trump’s overreach and heavy-handed immigration policies. 

“No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance,” protest organizers wrote on their website. “From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like.”

On Saturday, some 700 people are registered to gather at Hampton Park in Charleston from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.  In Summerville starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, activists are scheduled to meet on Main Street. Other protests are planned across the state, including Columbia, Rock Hill, Greenville, Aiken and more. A second Charleston protest is planned by another group for Sunday morning. People plan to gather in Brittlebank Park from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

In a statement released Wednesday, Charleston police said all local events were properly permitted and that organizers have maintained “open and consistent communication” with police.  Authorities added they do not anticipate any violence, but are mindful of recent events in other cities like Los Angeles, where riots have persisted for more than a week after Trump mobilized the National Guard and active-duty Marines to quell protests. 

S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson issued a warning to those planning to protest this weekend: South Carolina is a law-and-order  state and it’s “going to stay that way.”

“Radical, anti-American groups are organizing efforts that have the potential to disrupt public spaces, and provoke confrontation with law enforcement across the country,” Wilson’s office stated this week in what it called a “public safety advisory.”

S.C. Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain counterpunched: “Surely South Carolinians are growing tired of the South Carolina Attorney General using his office to score political points with his MAGA base. Let’s call Alan Wilson’s ‘Public Safety Advisory’ what it is: a blatant attempt to use fear to stifle peaceful protest.”

In today’s issue of the City Paper: 

CP OPINION: Harness your inner peaceful protester with flowers. “If you plan to attend Saturday, be prepared for a strong law enforcement presence. And be peaceful. We urge you to take bunches of flowers to the park as a way to recall that day in October 1967 when peaceful protesters stared down a military police unit, stuffing flowers into barrels.”

CP NEWS: 10 years later: Why Chris Singleton forgave his mother’s racist killer. June 16 marks the 10-year anniversary of Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old self-proclaimed White supremacist, opening fire on a room full of people praying because of the color of their skin. Chris Singleton was the first to forgive him.

CP FOOD: Two Bit Club set to bring Vietnamese with a twist to Society Street in Charleston. Two Bit Club, the newest restaurant concept from Charleston-based Indigo Road Hospitality Group, opens June 19 in Hotel Richemont, 93 Society St. Led by Executive Chef Jelo Tria, Two Bit Club honors the ingredients, traditions and vibrancy of Southeast Asian cuisine with a Lowcountry spin.

CP FOOD: Transformation Table builds bridges to unify Charleston communities. No matter your age, your color or your creed, you still have to eat. And when you face someone across a dinner table rather than across lines drawn by your differences, you might make a friend.

CP MUSIC: Marquis to pay soul tribute to music of Sam Cooke June 14 in Charleston. Without the late Sam Cooke, there really is no modern R&B. New Jersey’s Bradd Marquis is just one artist who Cooke influenced. On June 14, he’ll pay tribute to Cooke with a show called The Music of Sam Cooke: King of Soul at the Charleston Music Hall.

 In other headlines:

Charleston’s ‘gayborhood’ celebrates LGBTQ community year-round. Over the last 30 years, LGBTQ+ residents have moved en masse to Park Circle to build community. Now, many of the local bars and restaurants have become regular spots for queer folks to gather.

College of Charleston to demolish YWCA, exhume 1790s gravesite for new dorm. The College of Charleston plans to demolish the former YWCA building on Coming Street to build a new dorm on the western edge of its urban campus.

Roper breaks ground on new North Charleston hospital. Mayor Reggie Burgess has strong ties to Roper St. Francis Hospital, where his wife and two children were born.

Group to place 1,000 American flags in Daniel Island field. The Daniel Island Exchange Club will pay special tribute to those who served through its 10th annual Field of Honor event this weekend.

Summerville Town Council votes on first reading of ordinance to ban illegal encampments. Town council members in Summerville voted Thursday evening on a new ordinance that would make it illegal to camp on both public and private property without permission.

S.C. prepares for 6th execution in nine months for man serving two death sentences. A South Carolina man sent to death row twice for separate murders is scheduled to die Friday by lethal injection in the state’s sixth execution in nine months.

Isle of Palms visitors with limited mobility see new accessibility tool. Visitors of the Charleston County Parks on Isle of Palms who have mobility limitations will now be able to explore the area independently.

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